May 17, 1935 - May 6, 2021
Sadly we announce that our Mom, Shirley Lewis (nee Anstey), passed away peacefully on May 6, 2021 at Hillside Village, Salmon Arm, BC. She had suffered from dementia. Mom was just shy of her 86th birthday and her 66th Mother's Day.
She was predeceased by her parents, Harold Anstey and Bessie Brenson, both brothers Ken and Mervyn Anstey and her husband, Bill Lewis. She leaves to mourn her passing her 4 children, Tom (Gabriele), Debra, Greg and Lori. Sisters-in-law Rae Lewis and Jean (George) Creighton. She also leaves 7 grand children and many great grandchildren.
Mom was born on May 17, 1935, in Buchans, Dominion of Newfoundland. The family immigrated to Canada in 1942 on the SS Cariboo. (The Cariboo was torpedoed and sunk on the very next sailing.) She lived in Ontario until 1953, then she joined the RCAF, where she met Dad. They moved around a lot.
When we were kids, Mom liked Country and Western music. Hank Snow was a favorite, and the old Hank Snow song, "I've Been Everywhere Man", could pertain to her. She lived in Vancouver, Trois-Rivieres, QC, back to Vancouver, Mosey, QC, Moses Lake, WA, North Bay, ON, Courtenay, BC, Great Falls, MT, back to North Bay, ON, Duluth, MN, again back to North Bay, ON, Pender Island, BC, Saanich, BC, Fort Saskatchewan, AB, Sidney, BC and finally Salmon Arm. Such is the life when you are married to a military man!
After her children left the nest, Mom started to volunteer her time. She tutored reading, taught ceramics, worked in thrift stores, and most recently she volunteered at the Shoal Centre, in Sidney, BC.
Sidney was where Mom lived for the longest period of time. She made many friends there and they would help her as her dementia progressed and as Covid travel restrictions prevented family from visiting.
She was a social person and loved the company of others, so you can imagine that Covid-19 really cramped her style.
While in Salmon Arm, Mom lived in Hillside Village. The day she moved into her cottage, it took her about 10 minutes before she started to explore around and see if she could meet some new people. She was very happy there, she especially liked the food, though her dementia continued to rapidly take it's toll.
Our family would like to acknowledge and thank the professional and compassionate staff at Hillside Village, Cottage 6, for making Mom's stay as pleasant and comfortable as possible. They were very helpful in arranging FaceTime sessions for family members that couldn't travel to be with her.
Mom didn't want a service, but for everyone to remember her in their own special way. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the BC Cancer Foundation at https://bccancerfoundation.com/
Cremation services provided by the thoughtful people at Bowers Funeral Service.